In forensic laboratories, samples are often screened for drugs through so-called color tests, designed to change color in the presence of drugs. Although these tests are quick and inexpensive, they are limited because they are non-specific, meaning they do not identify which drug may be present, and can be inconclusive, requiring follow-up testing. A recently completed National Institute of Justice-funded study proposed to test the use of powerful electrochemical techniques to detect emerging drugs, such as fentanyl and novel psychoactive substances, in seized drug cases. These techniques are widely used in biomedicine, chemistry, environmental sciences, and many other industrial applications. The researchers confirmed their findings using Raman spectroscopy, a non-destructive technique that reveals the structural fingerprint of an unknown substance. They propose that using these methods in tandem could improve current drug screening procedures.
What’s That Drug? Fast Screening of Seized Drugs
NCJ Number
309344
Date Published
August 2024
Abstract
Date Published: August 1, 2024